Виктор Пахомов – Sherlock Holmes: The Gate of Oblivion. Volume 1 (страница 6)

Holmes and Elian took a table in the farthest corner, from where they had an ideal view of the entrance and the bar counter.The air here was thick with the smoke of «etherroot» – a local analogue of opium, which gave failed magicians the illusion of returning their powers, slowly burning out their minds.

«Order what everyone drinks here,» Holmes said quietly, without looking at his companion. Under the brim of his hat, his eyes scanned the room incessantly.«And try not to look like you’re expecting an attack every second.«In such a place, fear is an invitation to robbery.

Elian brought two mugs of cloudy, bubbling liquid that smelled of fermented honey and rust. Holmes just took a sip of the drink, winced and put the mug on the table.

«At the next table on the left,» Holmes whispered, «there are three mercenaries from the personal guard of the House of Call.«Pay attention to their cloaks.The edges are hemmed with lead thread.This is not for show – they are preparing to clash with those who use lightning magic.

– Can you see it in this darkness? – Elian was amazed.

– I see more than just that.There’s that man at the counter pretending to be asleep. His left ear constantly twitches – he listens not to us, but to those sitting behind the partition.This is a professional «whisper catcher".Information in this city is more expensive than pure air. Holmes’s attention suddenly turned to a notice board nailed to the wall near the exit.It was a chaotic pile of papers, job offers and threats. But among the diversity of magical runes and advertisements for the search for fugitive slaves, one piece of paper stood out.It was secured not with a nail, but with a thin steel needle.

Holmes stood up and, pretending to be interested in a map of local roads, walked up to the board. With a deft movement of a magician, he tore off the piece of paper and returned to its place.

It was the same note they had seen at the entrance, but with an addition on the back.This time there was a flawless geometric diagram drawn there – a cross – section of the Royal Library of Aetor. One of the sectors was circled in red.

«He gives me the route,» Holmes tapped his finger on the diagram.«Moriarty wants me to enter through the south wing.«This is either a trap or a test of his new security system.

– We can’t go there! – Elian turned even paler. – The southern wing is the Forbidden Knowledge Sector.There are not just guards on duty there, but Automatons – mechanisms powered by the blood of the ancient gods.They have no intelligence and cannot be deceived or bribed.

«Every mechanism has a wear point, Elian.«Moriarty loves order, but order is always predictable. If Automaton acts according to a program, then this program has a logical cycle.

Holmes turned the paper over.Below, under the diagram, there was a note in small print: «Tea will be served at seven.Don’t be late, Sherlock. You know how much I don’t like cold drinks.»

«Seven o’clock,» Holmes looked at his empty wrists, where his watch once was. – Local time, this is the moment when the Silver Moon disappears behind the spire of the Temple of Light. We have less than five hours left to prepare. Holmes motioned to the innkeeper, a one – eyed creature with skin as gray as parchment.

«We need two cloaks of shadow thread,» said Holmes, laying on the table a gold coin that he had quietly taken from Gurd’s wallet in the salt caves. – And a couple of bottles with pollen from the sleeping fern.

The innkeeper greedily grabbed the gold, testing it on his teeth.

«The shadow thread is precious these days, sir…» he creaked. – The Inquisition is clearing out all the supplies.They say the Spider pays twice as much.

«I’m crying now,» Holmes snapped.«And I don’t ask questions about where you got these cloaks from.»

Ten minutes later, in a package under the table, Holmes was already checking the quality of the goods.The shadow thread was a unique material – it absorbed light, making the owner almost invisible in the twilight.For Holmes, this was not magic, but advanced camouflage, working on the principle of photon refraction.

– Why do we need pollen? – Elyan asked, hiding his bottle in the folds of his robe.

«Moriarty’s automatons appear to use optical and thermal sensors,» Holmes explained, standing up. – When heated, pollen creates a cloud that blocks thermal vision. We will not fight them, Elyan. We will be a system error for them.

They left the Blind Sphinx as the evening twilight of Aetor turned crimson tones of the Blood Moon.The city began to transform: the towers of the highest tier lit up with bright neon light, and the lower levels were plunged into a thick, ozone – smelling fog.It was a time of thieves, renegade magicians and one London detective who felt more alive than ever in this atmosphere. The path to the southern wing of the Library led through the Bridge of Sighs, a colossal structure of transparent quartz that vibrated with the flow of mana flowing into the government quarters. Holmes walked ahead, his cloak of shadow thread making him a barely visible blur in the gloom.

«Stop,» Holmes pressed Elyan against the wall behind the ledge of a bas – relief depicting some forgotten god with four arms. – Inquisitor Patrol.Five people. One is a senior master, judging by the gold piping on the mask.

Elyan held his breath. A detachment in white robes walked past them with a measured step.They emanated such cold that frost appeared on the stones of the bridge.The inquisitors did not look around – their masks scanned the energy fields.

«The ring,» Holmes whispered. – It’s starting to overheat.Moriarty strengthened the background of the city to burn out any other people’s mana. We need to act faster.

They slid to the base of the Library’s south wall.There were no windows here – only monolithic black obsidian, dotted with runes of protection. Ten feet above the ground, a small technical protrusion could be seen – a ventilation hatch for removing heat from magical scrolls.

«Lift me up,» Holmes commanded.«When I gain a foothold, I’ll throw you a shadow rope.»

Using mountaineering techniques he had once honed in the Swiss Alps, Holmes latched onto a narrow ledge. His fingers ached from the cold of the stone, but the Sphere in his chest suddenly responded with a wave of heat.She seemed to feel the proximity of the Library – a colossal repository of knowledge that could explain its nature.

A minute later they were both crawling through a narrow, stuffy tunnel filled with humming wires and copper pipes. Holmes felt the vibration of the building resonate through his bones.This was Aetor’s heart, and it beat in a rhythm that was deeply disgusting to him – the rhythm of an artificial, imposed order. *** CIPHER LETTER «O» ***

The countdown has begun.Seven o’clock in the evening is the moment when the Silver Moon disappears behind the spire of the Temple of Light. Holmes and Elian lay in wait in the Blind Sphinx Tavern, a squat building of porous dark stone.There was twilight inside, diluted only by the dim glow of magical lichens.The air here was thick with the smoke of the «ethereal root.«Holmes’s attention was suddenly drawn to a piece of paper, secured not with a nail, but with a thin steel needle. Holmes stood up and tore off the piece of paper. A small, barely noticeable spider was drawn on the piece of paper.And under it is a solid phrase in English: «Mathematics is the music of reason.»

«Moriarty…» Holmes whispered.«This spider has woven its web even here.«And he knows that I will come. CHAPTER 6. ANATOMY OF THE FORBIDDEN

Holmes stood in front of the central pedestal, where the Guardian Crystal rotated in a cocoon of golden sparks.The sphere in his chest was now pulsating not just with cold, but with a measured, viscous rhythm that seemed to be trying to synchronize with the vibration of the building.The detective understood: the Library is not just a warehouse of information, it is a living computer network built on ethereal connections.

«Identification,» repeated the dispassionate voice in his mind. – The magic key was not found.An unauthorized access attempt has been detected.

– Sherlock, we need to run! – Elyan whispered, looking back at the entrance, where the white masks of the Inquisitors were already flashing between the floating bookshelves. – They will block the exits!

«Escape is just a delay,» Holmes did not move. His gaze was drawn to the edges of the crystal. – This system works on the principle of absorbing and processing magical intentions.She’s waiting for me to cast a spell to classify it and suppress it. But I won’t give her magic. I will give her a pure, unsolvable problem.

Holmes slowly reached out and touched the surface of the crystal. He wasn’t trying to do any magic. He closed his eyes, recalling the Halls of the Mind – endless rows of shelves with numbers and formulas.

«Accept the calculation request,» he said out loud, and his voice echoed under the dome of the Library. – Axiom: The ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter in space without curvature.Protocol: Decimal expansion of the number "Pi".Follow until the last sign. The Guardian Crystal froze for a moment.The golden sparks around him were replaced by an alarming crimson glow.Aetor’s system, accustomed to finite magical formulas and elegant runes, was faced with an infinity that had no magical nature.